


you dig me

by jakepurralta



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Brooklyn Nine-Nine Holiday Gift Exchange 2015, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jakepurralta/pseuds/jakepurralta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College AU.</p><p>Amy, Jake, a jerk and the start of a friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you dig me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the B99 Christmas gift exchange 2015 for Tumblr user bridgetandbell. Happy holidays! (I'm bad at titles.)

She _so_ does not want to be here right now.

_How bad could it be?_

That's what she thought to herself five hours ago when Rosa practically dragged her out of her room to attend the yearly dorm party. Plus, besides Rosa and a few classmates she was semi-familiar with, she had very few friends on campus and with at least three more years ahead of her, she could do with a little bit of socializing.

That brings her to two hours into the party. Rosa is long gone, probably doing exactly what she had planned to do and the woman is currently too busy "boning down" with some dude to even bother hanging out with Amy.

“Ugh, who invited him?" she hears a female student huff to her friend, and Amy's attention is directed towards the entrance, where the one man who is making her entire college experience a nightmare is standing, all clad in leather and with a determined look on his face.

“Who knows?" the woman's friend responds with the same kind of annoyance in her voice, “Besides, it doesn't matter. Warren's a total cockroach, you won't be able to keep him out of the house if he's got his eyes set on it."

And just like that, Warren's eyes cut through the crowd of people and meet Amy's, who must look precisely like a deer caught in the headlights. For a few seconds, her feet feel cemented to the floor and all she can do is pray that he doesn't actually see her.

But Amy is out of luck, and Warren is most definitely coming in her direction, lips already curling up in that smug smile that makes her skin crawl. She has to run. She spins herself in the opposite direction and wades through the throng of party goers, occasionally shouting excuses and hastily (but as polite as she can possibly be) nudges people out of her way. She steps over empty beer bottles on the floor and maneuvers past couples that are making out, not even giving herself the time to pull a face because there is nothing romantic about kissing in a room full of people. All of a sudden, she realizes that she is about to crash into a chair that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and she has to awkwardly twirl her body around it to avoid it. In the process, she crashes into another person and due to her own clumsiness, they collide with much bigger force than she anticipated.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she blurts out, awkwardly patting him on the chest before meeting his gaze.

The boy in question is looking more amused than annoyed and has a small smile on his lips that she can almost describe as empathetic. Unfortunately, she isn't granted much time to regain her composure when an overly croaky voice calls out her name.

“Amy Santiago, fancy running into you here, you lil' foxy mama."

She feels her body shiver with anger but decides to handle the situation gracefully, not taking the bait to lash out at him. She turns on her heel, but when her head turns and he is standing way closer to her than she expected, she feels her body take a defensive step back, which only results in her back once again bumping into the other guy's chest. And even though their bodies only briefly touched, she can tell by his stance and the way his muscles had tightened that he is just as upset as she is.

Yup, Warren is truly, and utterly, the scum of the earth, and everyone knows it. She had the misfortune of sharing a class with him one day and since then, he seemed to be completely obsessed with her. While he bothers many other people (even Rosa, who has no problem beating people up, often fell victim to his taunts), not a lot of people have the "honor" of being personally stalked and verbally sexualized by this pathetic excuse of a man. It isn't even so much the fact that he feels an uncontrollable need to hit on her constantly, it is the fact that he is a complete misogynist and has no respect for authority whatsoever. Amy firmly believes in the simple concept that good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people, but she is still waiting for his turn and frankly, she is getting impatient.

“I heard you and the nerd broke up. He wasn't quite what you're looking for, huh? I can tell that you're the kind of woman who needs a man who can give her some adventure." The jerk has a complacent grimace on his face that is just begging her to punch it off, but she keeps reminding herself that she has to be better than that.

She places her hands on her hips, pushing her chest forward in an attempt to look more composed. “Yes, I broke up with Teddy a week ago. And no, I'm still not interested. Please leave me alone."

Totally unfazed by her comment, Warren shrugs his shoulders and sways on his feet, nodding at the man behind her. “So, what're you doing with him then? That loser couldn't please a woman even if she gave him specific instructions."

Amy jerks her head back to face him, surprised to see that he is still standing there. Most people loathe being around Warren so much they take any opportunity they can get to sneak away. But not this guy, apparently.

“Look, man, she's very clear about what she wants," she hears him say.

She doesn't really feel the need for back up, but does use the opportunity to take a quick breather. The considerate looking man – she really needs a name at this point – has playfully curly, brown hair and is wearing a plaid shirt that gives him a boyish but charming look. She needs only two seconds to determine that this boy, versus Warren's crocodile leather boots and tendency to wear sunglasses indoors, is the exact polar opposite of everything that is Warren Pembroke.

At this point, Warren feels the need to shove Amy aside, stepping completely in the other man's personal space. “Look. Jake." (So his name was Jake.) “I'll make this real' simple for you. You either back the hell off, or I make your life a living hell."

Jake blinks a few times at that, looking sheepish. If Amy wasn't so curious to find out what his response would be, she'd be smiling at that. “Well, Warren…unfortunately, you're already _in_ my life, so..." Jake presses his lips together, holding up both his hands to illustrate him weighing his options. “-same difference."

Warren grits his teeth angrily, and backs away. “Looks like you made your choice." Giving Jake once last glare, he then turns around and struts off, pushing some people away from him as he makes his way to the exit.

“Sheesh. That guy's a real mood killer." Jake sighs, turning his attention to Amy.

“Right?" She steps a little closer to him and the two laugh it off. “He's so annoying."

Jake laughs a little more, and it is a warm sound that feels strangely comforting to her. “Hey, wait a second. Are you that Latina girl from Rosa's class that he's been obsessed with for weeks?"

Amy raises her hand. “Guilty as charged."

He gives her a genuinely apologetic look. “Sorry." After a moment of silence, he continues, “I know that he's been stalking some poor girl but I'd never thought that she'd be so- that you'd be- uh," he clears his throat loudly and averts his eyes, “so sorry to hear that."

She watches him as he attempts to furiously control the blush that had crept up on his cheeks. She can probably easily break his guard by asking him what he truly meant to say, but right now, she is feeling a little self-conscious herself and they can both benefit from being a little more at ease with each other. She holds out her hand. “I haven't officially introduced myself. I'm Amy Santiago."

He seems grateful at the change of topic. “Jake Peralta."

They shake hands. He mentions something about her firm grip, to which she replies that she took a seminar on power poses and handshakes. He makes a face and asks her where, and when she gives him a serious answer, he actually listens and admits that while he himself has no interest in going whatsoever, he can understand her appreciation for it.

* * *

The second time the two of them have the misfortune of running into Warren Pembroke is when Jake is walking Amy back to her dorm room. It's been three weeks since they first met, and despite the fact that they don't seem to have a lot in common, they do really enjoy each other's company. Jake learns things about Amy, like how she loves everything clean, she's a straight A student and she follows rules. Amy learns that Jake eats disgusting things for breakfast (sometimes, when she's eating breakfast in the morning, her mind wanders to him and she almost comes close to bringing him breakfast once), he's a bit of a slacker in the studying department but otherwise surprisingly intelligent. Also, one of the things she appreciates the most about him is that he makes her laugh. A lot.

She's laughing so hard she has to hold her hand on her stomach and even though he's grinning as well, she knows he's giving her that "I'm so happy I can make you laugh" look that she can't quite get enough of.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here." Resident mood killer Warren Pembroke steps in their way, looking between Amy and Jake, who have now both calmed down. “Still with hanging out with his sorry ass, huh?"

Amy glances sideways to Jake, who's clenching his teeth, anticipating Warren's next insult and that's when she decides she has had enough. No, she hasn't been drinking, but Jake just made her laugh for three straight minutes and it made her a little delirious, so it's basically the next best thing.

“Yeah, I am," her hand grasps Jake's, and she feels (rather than sees) his surprise. “in fact, we're dating. He's my boyfriend."

Warren bursts into laughter, causing him to miss the way Jake's flabbergasted face jerks towards Amy. “Bullshit. You'd never date a bum like him."

“I would, and I am." The words are rolling from her tongue faster than she can take them back.

“Alright," Warren nods his head firmly, “if he really is your boyfriend, then you two should have no problem kissing each other."

This startles both Amy and Jake, and the two of them quickly glance at each other before awkwardly looking away.

Now it's time for Jake to step up while Amy is still reeling at Warren's sudden request. “We don't have to prove anything to you."

Warren shakes his head and points at the gap between the two of them. “I don't buy this. You two are only pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend to mess with me. Well, I'm not easily played like that. You two, are fakers. You're-“

“Jake!" Amy suddenly yells, successfully shutting Warren up and gaining the attention of a shocked Jake in the process.

He has his body now turned back to her and a confused "huh" escapes his lips and against her better judgement (honestly, she could never picture herself doing this), she grasps the collar of his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss.

It's a clumsy movement that makes her lips crash against his and he is still against her, making her worry that maybe she overstepped a boundary (or three). She thinks about how their friendship is still in the early stages, and now she's ruining it just to prove a point to some asshole. She pulls away a little, her hands now on the back of his neck, standing on the tips of her toes to make sure their foreheads are touching.

“You okay?" she asks him in a hushed tone, careful not to attract the attention of Warren, who is certainly still watching the whole thing.

Something seemed to click in his mind because he places his hands on her back and closes the gap between them again, this time kissing her with the same level of ferocity that she used on him just a few seconds ago. But while the intensity is the same, this time, the experience is different. This time, he's ready for her and she's struggling to retain her self-control, struggling to keep her hands on his neck and not let them travel all through his hair. His hands remain on her back, as if she asked him to keep them there and he's just complying, but he's softly gasping against her lips and it gives away the fact that he's bursting at the seams just as much as she is.

They pull away when they need to breathe, and that's when they are both yanked back into the cold reality that is Warren staring them down with a disgusted look on his face. Jake gives her some space and rubs a hand over his face. Amy looks directly into Warren's eyes.

“We're going to need some privacy."

She takes his hand and leads him into her room.

* * *

“Wow!" Jake laughs loudly, fist pumping the air with a wide smile on his face. “We sure showed him!"

“Yeah, we did." Amy says, her hands sliding in to her pockets as the realization hits her: she just kissed Jake. Intensely. Jake, a guy she's only known for a few weeks. It took her and Teddy six months to get to a first date and she's already had a full on make out session with Jake. Did she just ruin it all?

Almost as if reading her mind, Jake steps forward to her, though respectful enough not to get too close. “Look, I know this was just to fool Warren. I just think the look on his face was priceless, that's all."He pauses, searching for the right words. But she knows he's not a poet and whatever he's gonna say will be a little messy but still with a lot of heart, and she's right. “I just really want to be your friend."

She looks him in the eyes, and feels confused about how she feels, a feeling he probably shares. Logically speaking, it'd be wiser to forget about the whole thing and just use friendship as the next step, and Amy Santiago is a woman who follows logic.

All she knows is that he makes her laugh and she likes him around. He's unlike any other man she's been with (platonically) and she wouldn't mind spending much more time with him.

“Okay."

He raises an eyebrow. “Okay…what?"

“You should be my friend, Jake Peralta. You're weird and you talk a lot and you embarrass me sometimes-“

He grins. “You dig me-"

“-proving my point exactly," Amy silences him, “but all in all, college has been a lot more fun with you around and you seem like a good guy. I'd be proud to call you my friend."

He tilts his head at that and gives her a pouty smile. “Aww. Ames, that's so sweet of you to say."

“Don't call me Ames."

“Challenge accepted!" he hollers, “From this day forth, I will prove my worth to you and one day earn my right to call you Ames."

She rolls her eyes at him, but smiles regardless. Yeah, college life is going to be a lot more fun with him around, and something tells her that he's going to spending a lot of time with her. She watches him go on about all the kind of nicknames he could call her and tells herself that she made the right choice to choose friendship over whatever that feeling was that she felt when they kissed. It can wait for now.

She'll figure it out eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make this so much longer and it feels kind of rushed to me. There are still many missing scenes I could write, but that would result in a multi-chap thing and I know that I never finish those. Also, using the Vulture’s real name felt so surreal to me. Can you tell I hate him with every fiber of my being? Anyways, I figured this happened before he got that Vulture cred.


End file.
